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Quarterly Newsletter Issue #13
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Dear Readers,
Greetings!
In this October–December 2025 edition of InnovTech@CUTS, we bring together a wide range of research, policy engagement, and capacity-building initiatives addressing emerging challenges at the intersection of technology, markets, and society. Our research this quarter spans online gambling, telecom cyber security, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies. A survey-based analysis from Delhi NCR shows that restrictions on real-money gaming have not reduced participation but instead redirected users to offshore betting platforms, significantly increasing spending levels and user engagement in unregulated environments, and exposing consumers to heightened financial and protection risks. We also examined the Telecom Cyber Security Amendment Rules 2025, highlighting concerns around affordability, privacy, feasibility, and the disproportionate compliance burden on MSMEs, startups, and users of shared devices.
Beyond regulatory and market risks, our research explores the ethical use of AI and robotics in elderly care, emphasising autonomy, emotional well-being, transparency, and equitable access. We also analyse the growing adoption of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in employee training, identifying both their potential to enhance learning outcomes and the organisational, cost, and data protection challenges that must be addressed for sustainable deployment.
This quarter also reflects our active engagement through policy submissions on AI-generated content under the IT Rules, extensive media coverage, and participation in national and international forums on AI governance, competition, and digital markets. We continued to contribute to strengthening digital resilience through cyber security capacity-building workshops for MSMEs across multiple states.
We hope you find this edition informative and welcome your feedback and insights.
Amol Kulkarni
Director (Research)
CUTS International
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Access to Offshore Betting Websites after the Online Gaming Ban: A SurveyBased Analysis (Delhi NCR)
Sohom Banerjee and Pratyush Banerjee
 Findings from Delhi NCR suggest that the ban on real-money gaming has not reduced participation but redirected users to offshore platforms. Reported usage of offshore sites increased from 68.3% pre-ban to 82.0% post-ban. Spending patterns have also changed, with a noticeable rise in higher monthly outlays (₹10,000–₹25,000+), compared to largely low-value spending earlier. User engagement increased sharply, with daily users rising from 3.4% to 42.3%. 44% of players now spend over two hours per session, compared to just 3.4% before the ban. Over 93% respondents rated deposits and withdrawals as “easy” or “very easy,” reinforcing perceptions of frictionless transactions.
Platform preferences show minor churn, with crash-type games remaining dominant. Access pathways have become more deliberate, with encrypted messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp serving as primary gateways. Users cited continued ease of access, lack of legal alternatives, peer influence, and attractive rewards as key reasons for offshore engagement. These findings indicate that the ban has moved gaming offshore and intensified activity, raising potential financial and consumer risks.
Read the full report here
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The Cost of Telecom Cyber Security: Impact of the 2025 Amendment Rules on Consumers and Small and Medium Businesses
Krishaank Jugiani
 The Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Amendment Rules, 2025, expand India’s telecom cyber security framework by introducing the Mobile Number Validation (MNV) system and stricter IMEI tracking, aimed at curbing SIM fraud, identity theft, and misuse of telecom identifiers. While strengthening security is essential, the Rules raise concerns regarding compliance costs, operational feasibility, and regulatory overlap, particularly for MSMEs and startups. Uncertainty surrounding validation charges and coordination with existing frameworks adds further complexity.
The provisions may also risk digital exclusion, especially for dependent users like women, children, and low-income users who rely on shared devices for accessing banking, healthcare, education, and government services. Expanded government access to telecom data without clear privacy safeguards, discretionary MNV platform access, and revenue-sharing provisions with telecom operators further raise concerns about transparency and proportionality. To mitigate these risks, risk-based and proportionate compliance, clear due process safeguards, transparent pricing structures, harmonisation with existing laws, and pilot testing along with Regulatory and Privacy Impact Assessments are recommended.
Read the full report here |
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Comments on the Draft amendments to Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 – in relation to synthetically generated information
Sohom Banerjee
CUTS CCIER, October, 2025
CUTS submitted its comments on the Government of India’s proposed amendments to the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, concerning synthetically or AI-generated content. We recommended clear definitions for terms like “synthetically generated information,” “label,” and “identifier” to avoid overreach, and risk-based labelling that differentiates harmless creative uses from harmful manipulations such as misinformation or impersonation. The framework should remain flexible to protect startups, creators, and small enterprises from undue burdens, while ensuring procedural safeguards so platforms do not act as de facto adjudicators, and moderation actions are transparent, auditable, and appealable.
We also suggested aligning India’s rules with global standards like Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), and the Partnership on AI, conducting regulatory impact assessments and post-implementation reviews, and complementing labelling with digital literacy initiatives. Inclusive oversight by civil society and consumer groups is also essential to monitor effectiveness, balancing transparency, accountability, and innovation without stifling legitimate expression.
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Amazon to Meesho race to crack LLM-powered shopping as AI reshapes ecommerce
Live Mint, December 30, 2025
Offshore Betting Platform Usage Increased Nearly 14% After Online Gambling Ban: CUTS Survey
Medianama, December 05, 2025
Govt Sources Indicate MDR of 0.2%-0.3% on UPI: What India Can Learn from Brazil’s Pix
MediaNama, December 05, 2025
Real-money games ban drove users to offshore platforms, survey shows
MediaNama, December 04, 2025
Offshore gambling use jumps 20%, monthly spends hit Rs 25,000+
Storyboard 18, December 04, 2025
The CSR Journal
The CSR Journal, December 07, 2025
Indian offshore gambling use jumps 20% after ban on online real-money games
Tribune, December 07, 2025
India’s Gaming Ban Linked to Sharp Growth in Offshore Betting
Casino News Daily, December 15, 2025
India’s online gaming ban drives surge in offshore gambling, survey finds
Focus Asia Pacific, December 15, 2025
Offshore Gambling Apps Usage among Former RMG Users Climbs from 68% to 82%
Prime Time News, December 04, 2025
India offshore betting up 20% after RMG ban: Report
SiGMA News, December 12, 2025
Online Gaming Ban in India Points Directly to Exponential Growth of Unregulated Sites Abroad
IgamingToday, December 12, 2025
SIM binding for OTT apps — Experts doubt DoT’s fraud-fighting math
Communications Today, December 01, 2025
Experts on DoT mandate: SIM binding for OTTs unlikely to curb fraud
Business Standard, November 30, 2025
Uber pays idle drivers to train its AI
Live Mint, October 20, 2025
COMESA Competition Commission CEO Calls for Stronger Competition Frameworks amid AI Advancements on World Competition Day
APN News, December 8, 2025
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Workshops on Cyber security Capacity Building for MSMEs in India
 CUTS conducted Cyber security Building Workshops for MSMEs in Rajasthan, West Bengal and Assam. The workshops, organised in collaboration with local industry associations and NGOs, brought together entrepreneurs and workers from diverse sectors for a hands-on cyber security workshop designed to tackle real-world digital threats. Supported by The Asia Foundation and Google.org under the APAC Cyber security Fund, the initiative focuses on equipping MSMEs with practical tools and strategies to strengthen their digital resilience.
Participants represented a diverse range of sectors, including garment manufacturing, food processing, artisanal enterprises, agriculture, the bamboo industry, stationery, and other related industries. During the sessions, participants learned to identify phishing attempts, secure their online payments, protect sensitive business and customer data, and implement simple, low-cost cyber security measures in daily operations. These workshops underscored the growing recognition among MSMEs of the importance of cyber security in an increasingly digital economy and highlighted their willingness to adopt safer digital practices to safeguard their businesses and customers.
More details about the project are here.
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Webinar on Artificial Intelligence, Consumers and Competition Policy, in collaboration with the COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission (CCCC) on World Competition Day
December 05, 2025
 CUTS and CIRC, in collaboration with the COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission (CCCC), organised a webinar to mark World Competition Day on December 05 2025, focusing on the intersection of artificial intelligence and competition policy. The session highlighted emerging risks such as algorithmic collusion, data concentration, and AI-driven market distortions, particularly for developing economies.
Speakers emphasised the need for stronger, future-ready competition frameworks, enhanced regulatory capacity, and cross-border cooperation to ensure that AI adoption remains pro-competitive and consumer-centric.
More details about the project are here.
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CIRC’s 10th Winter School on Economics of Competition Law
 The 10th edition of the CIRC Winter School on Economics of Competition Law focused on the growing intersection between technology and competition regulation. The programme featured over 20 hours of interactive sessions led by internationally recognised experts, addressing how digital markets, algorithms, and AI tools are reshaping competition enforcement. Key discussions focused on algorithmic collusion, data-driven market power, and the evolving understanding of dominance in technology-led markets. Speakers highlighted the challenges regulators face in detecting anti-competitive conduct driven by opaque algorithms and automated decision-making systems.
Participants also explored how competition authorities can build institutional capacity to respond to emerging digital risks, particularly in jurisdictions without formal AI policies. The Winter School brought together officials and practitioners from India, Papua New Guinea, Zambia, and other regions, fostering cross-jurisdictional learning on technology-enabled markets. Overall, the programme reinforced the need for adaptive, economically informed competition frameworks to keep pace with rapid technological change.
More information can be viewed here.
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Building Trust in Synthetic Media through Responsible Innovation & Governance
November 27, 2025
 CUTS and Broadband India Forum, hosted this panel discussion at the India Internet Governance Forum, 2025 as a Pre-Summit Event for the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The session focused on building trust in synthetic media through risk-targeted regulation, user accountability, and realistic technical standards, emphasising multi-layered measures such as provenance, watermarks, and enforcement, to promote transparency, trust, and responsible adoption.
More details are here.
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An Emerging BRICS Vision for the Global South
October 15, 2025
 The symposium jointly organised with the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF) at India International Centre highlighted technological sovereignty and innovation as pivotal for BRICS+ advancement during India’s 2026 chairmanship. Discussions emphasised establishing a BRICS AI Governance and Digital Sovereignty Compact, including shared ethics codes and an AI Safety Institute. Proposals included a one-billion-dollar India-Russia-China Quantum Computing R&D Fund over five years, alongside trilateral replication of Digital Public Infrastructure models. Participants advocated data localisation and ethical guardrails to balance innovation amid geopolitical mistrust, positioning technology as a cornerstone for resilience, autonomy, and equitable Global South development.
More information can be viewed here.
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India-Australia Defence Industry Business Roundtable
Friday 10 October 2025
 The inaugural India-Australia Defence Industry Business Roundtable, held in Sydney, advanced co-development and innovation in critical and emerging technologies. Co-chaired by India’s Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Australia’s Assistant Minister Peter Khalil, discussions prioritised joint R&D in Quantum computing and communications, AI applications in defence, Information warfare, Underwater domain awareness, Autonomous systems, Space-based dual-use technologies. Participants proposed an India–Australia Defence Bridge for sustained dialogue, alongside thematic seminars and SME involvement to foster innovation-led partnerships, supply chain resilience, and technological sovereignty in the Indo-Pacific.
More information can be viewed here.
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Sohom Banerjee presented his research paper titled “Influence of Independent Directors on Firm Risk: Evidence from Advanced Economies” at the conference “Navigating the New Era of Corporate Governance: Insights into Reporting, Law, and Insolvency,” organised by the Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, held on 12–13 December 2025.
Sohom Banerjee presented research paper “A Socio-Technical Systems Theory (STS) Perspective on the Dark Aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” at the 3rd International Conference on Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Equity, and Digital Strategies (SEEDS 2025), held from 2–4 December 2025. The conference was jointly organised by Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida; Middlesex University, Dubai; and Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, and took place at the Prince of Songkla University campus, Thailand.
Sohom Banerjee spoke on “Building Trust: Ethics and Regulation of AI for SMEs—Ensuring Responsible and Trusted AI Adoption,” at the international conference “Follow-Up: The Experience and Extent of Adopting AI among SMEs in Asia,” organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Regional Economic Programme Asia, held from 25–28 November 2025 at Manila, Philippines.
Krishaank Jugiani participated in a roundtable on Public Procurement of Technology: Building Resilient and Future-Ready Systems, organised by Chase Advisors and O.P. Jindal Global Business School in Delhi on 28 November 2025.
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